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BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Toronto Blue Jays spring training game at the Pittsburgh Pirates was rained out Thursday. The game will not be made up. STARTING TIME The Blue Jays returned to their camp in Dunedin without announcing revised pitching plans. Left-hander Mark Buerhle was scheduled to start Thursday on six days rest and it is not likely manager John Gibbons will want him to wait past Friday for his next outing. Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole, slated to start against Toronto, will pitch against Minnesota in a "B" game Friday morning. Cole allowed two runs in two innings against the Blue Jays in his initial outing on Feb. 28. TRAINERS ROOM Pirates left-hander Jeff Locke does not expect to miss much time due to tightness in his right oblique. Locke felt what he said felt like "a continuous little pull" during his last bullpen session and was scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday. "Its very minor. Well take a few days and re-evaluate," Locke said. "Its funny. I was just out there throwing normally. It could be I was coming out of my turn quick. It could be I didnt stretch enough." Locke was an All-Star last year but didnt pitch due to a back injury. He struggled in the second half -- at one point he was sent to Double-A -- and finished 10-7 with a 3.52 ERA. He is battling Edinson Volquez for the No. 5 spot in the rotation. "From what Ive heard from the training staff, its something that if we dont take care of it now, it could be six to eight weeks later," Locke said. "Thats something I cant afford." FINDING RHYTHM Pedro Alvarez has started five of Pittsburghs first eight games and is tied with Gregory Polanco for the team lead with 15-bats. "Theres a reason for it," manager Clint Hurdle said. "Were trying to bundle at-bats differently for all these guys and give them an opportunity to find some rhythm. The only guys who havent played back-to-back games are (Andrew) McCutchen and (Russell) Martin, and thats by design too." In spring traininng last year, Alvarez hit .241 with two homers in 54 at-bats. In 2012, he hit .170 with two homers in 53 at-bats. "Pedros spring trainings have been challenging," Hurdle said. "Obviously, the season can turn out different, but nobody likes to have to battle for an extended period. If we can give him some help along the way, like by giving him (lots) of at-bats in a short period of time, thats what well do." Montreal Canadiens Jerseys . Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Blue Jackets may do to build upon last seasons success to return to the playoffs again next year. Howie Morenz Jersey . It was my fifth straight year attending and, as always, there are many interesting matters discussed as it pertains to the use of statistics in sports. http://www.canadienssale.com/authentic-jacques-plante-canadiens-jersey/ . The above paragraph could be rewritten, verbatim, with Marcus Stromans name in place of Romeros. After both men had disastrous outings in Tuesdays 18-4 mauling at the hands of the Tigers, its clear that neither is the best option to begin the season in Toronto. Henri Richard Jersey .com) - Intrastate rivals collide Saturday as the Texas State Bobcats hit the road to take on the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns in a non-conference battle at Frank Erwin Center. Patrick Roy Jersey . The top-ranked Djokovic also beat Gael Monfils and then routed Roger Federer en route to his first Abu Dhabi title. "Its always great to win a title. This is the best way to start the 2012 season," Djokovic said.INDIANAPOLIS -- Adreian Payne and Michigan State have that March look again, and the Spartans think their best basketball is in front of them. Next up is another showdown with Michigan. Payne scored 18 points, Branden Dawson had 14 and No. 22 Michigan State beat No. 12 Wisconsin 83-75 on Saturday to reach the Big Ten tournament championship. The third-seeded Spartans (25-8) won consecutive games for the first time since an 11-game run ended in January. They will meet the top-seeded Wolverines in the final on Sunday. "Were just scratching the surface," Payne said. "We didnt play at a high level before just because we havent had time for everyone to play together for a long period of time. This tournament has been great because weve been able to play with each other more and were starting to look better." Dawson scored in double figures for the second straight game after getting off to a slow start in his return from a broken right hand. He went 6 for 8 from the field as the Spartans shot 56 per cent against the defence-minded Badgers. The Spartans went on a 16-1 run in the first half and took a 37-16 lead when Gary Harris scored with 5:39 left before halftime. "I thought we played some of our best basketball of the year in that first five minutes," coach Tom Izzo said. "Wisconsin is very good. I thought we played awfully well." Frank Kaminsky had 28 points and Sam Dekker added 11 points and seven boards for the second-seeded Badgers (26-7), who were outrebounded 32-28 by the Spartans. Michigan State was swept by Michigan during the regular season, but it has a perfect record in conference title games. The Spartans last championship came in a win over Ohio State in 2012. The first half against Wisconsin was one of the best periods Michiigan State has played all season.dddddddddddd. Traevon Jacksons layup helped Wisconsin close to 21-15 with 10:43 left in the first half, but the Spartans responded with a 16-1 run that included three three-point plays. Payne scored and Denzel Valentine hit a 3-pointer to give the Spartans a 26-15 lead. Then Dawson was fouled on a layup and made the ensuing foul shot. Bronson Koening made a free throw for the Badgers before Payne and Travis Trice had consecutive three-point plays. Trice then forced a turnover and Harris scored on a fast-break layup to increase the lead to 21 with 5:39 left in the first half. It was pretty much a total breakdown for the Badgers in the first half, a surprising start for a team that was being mentioned as a possibility for a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. "Ball movement, body movement, shot selection, its never just one thing," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "Its a combination of things. We werent very fluid, but we found that fluidity." Wisconsin trailed 43-26 at the break, but it rallied in the second half. Dekkers dunk capped an 8-2 spurt that trimmed Michigan States lead to 51-41 with 15:02 remaining. The Badgers got within seven when Jackson made a pair of free throws with under four minutes to play and again when Jackson hit a 3 with 51 seconds remaining. But the rally fizzled from there. "We dug ourselves a hole in the first half and we were trying to climb out of that hole that entire second half," Kaminsky said. "We didnt have enough left in the tank to get over that." Jackson finished with 10 points for Wisconsin, which shot 28 per cent in the first half. The Badgers have dropped two of their last three games and lost for the first time this season on a neutral court. ' ' '